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Otherworld
The Otherworld is complex. It serves as the home of the gods, the home of the Fae and the underworld. In the Mythic Age, there was no real separation between the Otherworld and the land of humans. A series of events starting with the slaying of Hafgan by Pryderi and culminating in the War of Salt & Silver led to dramatic changes. Not only did the Otherworld withdraw from the terrestrial world, its own internal landscape reshaped itself. Annwn as Otherworld Originally the name for the entire Otherworld, it is now generally used by post-Resurgent humans for the underworld/ghostlands. The fey still refer to underhill/the fairy kingdoms within Cymru as Annwyn and generally call Arawn, Gwyn ap Nudd and Gwythyr ap Griedawl all Kings of Annwn. Blodeuedd is also granted title by some as a Queen of Annwn. While some of the Blood Gods have at least one divine parent, they all also have at least one human parent and as such are ineligeable for rulership of the Otherworld. Blodeuedd being the divine creation of Gwydion & High King Math is considered eligeable by many fey, especially the Bendith Y Mamau who are eager to tip the balance between the courts in their favor. The Underworld Slain gods and demigods can travel throughout the Underworld but cannot leave to other parts of the underworld unless they were bathed in the Cauldron of Eternity. Annwn as the Underworld Ruled by King Arawn, the mythic underworld of Annwyn does not contain the soul of every human who has died. During the Interregnum, few souls made the trip through the gloaming without some form of guide unless they had some kind of feyblood. The Wild Hunt was rarely called and those baptised, unless they were suicides, went... elsewhere. Since the Resurgence, however, Arawn and his knights often ride the Wild Hunt, collecting the souls of the dead and using them for the King's own purpose. According to the Treaty of Souls, the knights of Annwn may not collect the dead or dying in consecrated ground or who have had the Last Rights performed. They also may not claim healthy, uninjured humans- though they are allowed to harry them until something in their circumstances change. Uffern the Hell Realm True Annwn, unlike the gloaming, is a shining and luscious land filled with magic and monsters. However, the realm of Uffern, the "hell-realm" that was carved into the Otherworld during the Black Plague is a decidedly different place. Its denizens are a mix of true fey and human ghosts who were twisted into demonic shades. Hafgan was banished there after he was slain by Pwll. The Gloaming Also called the mists and the edge, the gloaming is a peripherial realm that separates the human world and the deeper Otherworld like a membrane. It is shadowy, sunless place filled with spirits who communicate in a symbolic language of sounds and images. Normal humans find it terrifying and their fear is what they communicate to the spirits, attracting capricious or malevolent responses. Actual fairies and human ghosts alike can be found here and there is no clear distinction between them because human ghosts who remain in the gloaming long enough become true creatures of fey. There are paths and pathfinders within the gloaming that can move to the various fey courts including "true Annwn": the realm of King Arawn. The Bleidd-dyn have their own moon paths in the gloaming which lead to their various protectorates. All of the skin-changers can move in and out of the gloaming once they have been initiated into their tribal packs and taught how. Some feyblooded human magicians and witches can access the gloaming as well. To reach a specific place such as a fey court or protectorate, individuals need to have some form of pathfinder- either a guide or feycrafted item that serves the same purpose. The Fae Born to the Otherworld, the Fae include the gods, their servants, offspring and creations. "fey" or "fairy" is used in the modern Three Kingdoms to distinguish the lesser otherworld creatures and their form of magic from the mythic gods/ancient Fae such as Dôn, Llŷr and the pantheons of their children. Most of the Cymric gods are so deep in the otherworld to be completely unreachable except by special types of otherworld messengers. As a rule of thumb, the more closely related one of the Fae are to Dôn or the greater gods, the less likely they will have direct influence on the gloaming or the human world. Most of the True Fae are still too far from the human world, if they still exist at all. Arawn, Blodeuedd are the noted exceptions. The Fey Courts In Cymru, there are two fey courts: Bendith Y Mamau and the Tylwyth Teg. They are also called the Shadow Court and the Sun Court and are equivalent to the Unseelie and Seelie. Within the courts there are dozens of different kinds of fairies, each with their own name. Fairy Kings or Queens of Cymru The nobles are the most human like, but preternaturally beautiful. Their sheer presence that can paralyze a human being. The fey kings and queens are only a few generations separated from the goddess Dôn and have no human heritage. Fairy Princes of Gwent Gwyn and Gwythyr have a number of sons and daughters- ironically born of the same fey mother: Creiddylad, also the daughter of Nudd and Corrigan. Most notably in Gwent, these include Marc Iago ap Gwyn and Ysberg ap Gwythyr who both have courts there. The Bendith Y Mamau and Tylwyth Teg vary in their conduct towards each other, especially in modern Cymru. Some types of fairies favor a specific court, others participate in either. The princes are vassals to their father and have limited autonomy but they are able self-govern their courts in most affairs. *Types of Fairies in Gwent *Court of Prince Marc Iago ap Gwyn *Court of Prince Ysberg ap Gwythyr go to the Cymru Main Page